Zepto-
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Look up zepto- in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Zepto (unit symbol z) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10−21, i.e. 0.000000000000000000001.
Adopted into the International System of Units (SI) in 1991, it is derived from the Latin septem, seven, since it is equal to 1000−7.
Examples of its use:
- The electric charge on one electron is 160.217657 zeptocoulombs (zC).
- One zeptomole (zmol) of a substance contains 602 particles.
- The human insulin molecule has a mass of roughly 10 zeptograms (zg).[1]
- The travel time of a photon across molecular hydrogen is 247 zeptoseconds (zs) for the average bond length of molecular hydrogen.[2][3]
Prefix | Base 10 | Decimal | English word | Adoption[nb 1] | Etymology | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Symbol | Short scale | Long scale | Language | Derived word | |||
yotta | Y | 1024 | 1000000000000000000000000 | septillion | quadrillion | 1991 | Greek | eight[nb 2] |
zetta | Z | 1021 | 1000000000000000000000 | sextillion | trilliard | 1991 | Latin | seven[nb 2] |
exa | E | 1018 | 1000000000000000000 | quintillion | trillion | 1975 | Greek | six |
peta | P | 1015 | 1000000000000000 | quadrillion | billiard | 1975 | Greek | five[nb 2] |
tera | T | 1012 | 1000000000000 | trillion | billion | 1960 | Greek | four,[nb 2] monster |
giga | G | 109 | 1000000000 | billion | milliard | 1960 | Greek | giant |
mega | M | 106 | 1000000 | million | 1873 | Greek | great | |
kilo | k | 103 | 1000 | thousand | 1795 | Greek | thousand | |
hecto | h | 102 | 100 | hundred | 1795 | Greek | hundred | |
deca | da | 101 | 10 | ten | 1795 | Greek | ten | |
100 | 1 | one | – | |||||
deci | d | 10−1 | 0.1 | tenth | 1795 | Latin | ten | |
centi | c | 10−2 | 0.01 | hundredth | 1795 | Latin | hundred | |
milli | m | 10−3 | 0.001 | thousandth | 1795 | Latin | thousand | |
micro | μ | 10−6 | 0.000001 | millionth | 1873 | Greek | small | |
nano | n | 10−9 | 0.000000001 | billionth | milliardth | 1960 | Greek | dwarf |
pico | p | 10−12 | 0.000000000001 | trillionth | billionth | 1960 | Spanish | peak, a little bit |
femto | f | 10−15 | 0.000000000000001 | quadrillionth | billiardth | 1964 | Danish | fifteen, Fermi[nb 3] |
atto | a | 10−18 | 0.000000000000000001 | quintillionth | trillionth | 1964 | Danish | eighteen |
zepto | z | 10−21 | 0.000000000000000000001 | sextillionth | trilliardth | 1991 | Latin | seven[nb 2] |
yocto | y | 10−24 | 0.000000000000000000000001 | septillionth | quadrillionth | 1991 | Greek | eight[nb 2] |
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References[]
- ^ John Dell BE PhD (2009-03-25). "Mechanical engineering gone small - how to measure Zeptograms and Yoctograms using MEMS technology" (PDF). University of Western Australia. Engineers Australia. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- ^ [https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6514/339 Zeptosecond birth time delay in molecular photoionization.
- ^ [https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/photon-journey-molecule-shortest-event-zeptosecond-physics Physicists have clocked the shortest time span ever. It's how long it took a chunk of light to cross a hydrogen molecule]
Categories:
- SI prefixes